Gone West: CAF Col. Bill Godwin | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.12.25

Airborne-NextGen-05.13.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.14.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-05.15.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.16.25

Tue, Jan 13, 2015

Gone West: CAF Col. Bill Godwin

One Of The Founding Members Of What Was Then Called The Confederate Air Force

The CAF late last year noted the passing of one of its founding members; Col. Bill Godwin. Godwin passed away December 21 last year.

According to an obituary posted on the CAF website, Godwin was a continuous fixture and important member of the CAF for more than 40 years. Godwin was born in East St. Louis, Ill. in 1925 and like many of our members he was an aviation enthusiast who wanted to be a pilot. While still in high school, he passed the written test for the Navy's aviation pilot training program, but the Navy had more than enough pilots at the time.

He was drafted into the infantry on April 7, 1944. He found himself on the ground in combat deep in the mountain jungles of the Pacific Theater instead of flying overhead.

His first contact with the Confederate Air Force came with a phone call from CAF founder Col Lloyd Nolen, to paint lettering on a vintage airplane. In 1968 he joined the CAF and from that day forward he was an active member who took great pleasure spending time with fellow Colonels and helping to preserve and fly warbirds. In the CAF’s formative years Bill played an important role in the operations of the organization, from creating signage, to guiding volunteers and founding the first PX. Bill lent his talents to the first restoration of the CAF Airpower Museum Nose Art Panels and to painting the FIFI nose art on the B-29 Superfortress.

As one of the first leaders of the Headquarters Wing, he helped establish the Wing Staff Conference in Harlingen as a way for the general staff to communicate to the growing number of wings and squadrons across the country. Wing Staff Conference remains an important annual event, bringing units together to exchange ideas and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow members.

Bill Godwin’s experience within the CAF led to the creation of some of the basic operational guidelines that CAF units continue to use today. For his enduring dedication to the Commemorative Air Force, he was inducted into the CAF Hall of Fame in 2012.

(Image provided by the CAF)

FMI: www.commemorativeairforce.org

Advertisement

More News

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (05.16.25)

Aero Linx: International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations (IFATCA) IFATCA is the recognised international organisation representing air traffic controller associ>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.16.25)

“The BlackBird is more than a demonstrator—it’s a flying testbed for the future of aviation. To see it take flight in such a short time is a testament to our team>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (05.16.25): Glideslope Intercept Altitude

Glideslope Intercept Altitude The published minimum altitude to intercept the glideslope in the intermediate segment of an instrument approach. Government charts use the lightning >[...]

Airborne-NextGen 05.13.25: Merlin Tests, Dronetag Accuses, Flying Car?

Also: MQ-9B UAS MTC, FlightSimExpo, New JPL Director, Japanese Lunar Lander Preps Merlin’s flight testing campaign continues to rapidly progress with its certification-ready >[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Jabiru's New J170-D - An Upgraded and Fine-tuned LSA

From 2017 (YouTube Edition): The Airplane From Down Under Is A Proven Trainer… Jabiru was one of the early light sport aircraft (LSA) brought into the U.S.A. when the sport >[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC